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Angela Kelly On Dressing The Queen

THE Queen's dressmaker, Angela Kelly, has revealed that "months
of preparation" went into creating two identical dresses for the
monarch's starring role in the Olympic Opening Ceremony. Kelly
explained that not even those making the pieces knew why two of the
same design were required - as Danny Boyle's plans were kept
shrouded in utmost secrecy.

The scene in question saw the monarch star alongside Daniel
Craig as James Bond, first inside Buckingam Palace, and then
apparently jumping out of a helicopter over the Olympic stadium -
with a stunt double wearing an exact replica of the Queen's
dress.

"The Buckingham Palace dressmakers worked quietly for months,
never having both dresses out of storage at the same time,"
explained Kelly in her new book, Dressing the Queen: The
Jubilee Wardrobe. "Even they did not know why two dresses were
required for the same event."

Everything about the design had to be carefully considered, from
the colour to the cut. Eventually a peach hue was selected as it
had to be bright enough to stand out against the dark backdrop of
the stadium, but also couldn't be a colour associated with any of
the competing nations. The striking pleated skirt was chosen to
ensure that the dress was recognisable to the audience when it
emerged from the helicopter.

In the tome - released today by the Royal Collection to
celebrate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee year - Kelly takes readers
behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace's dressmaking headquarters,
revealing the extensive amount of time and planning that goes into
each of the monarch's outfits.

"The preparations for the Diamond Jubilee began in earnest in
2010, when I started to research and purchase fabrics," wrote
Kelly. "But since the Queen is frugal and very aware of costs, I
was keen to use fabrics from our stockroom, some of which date back
to 1961 and before."

The dressmaker has also disclosed other royal style secrets,
such as how the Queen taught her to "squeeze" a fabric sample to
test how badly it creases before deciding to use it, or how
hemlines of coats and dresses should be weighed down to avoid any
embarrassment in windy conditions.

Dressing The Queen: The Jubilee Wardrobe is out now,
priced £24.95, available from the Royal Collection.